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As a practicing nurse, beyond direct care for your patients in a day, you will have paper or computer documentation to complete about all that you do, phone calls to return and doctor's orders to carry out. This only scratches the surface of your job description. It is important to be able to carry all this out without losing your cool.
To go into nursing, you should have an aptitude for science, and some math (at least basic stuff). Learning is a constant thing in this career. There are always new twists to treating different medical problems and new technology being created for healthcare. It is not something that remains stagnant, so you should be always willing to learn new ways of doing things and new ways of looking at problems. There are always those times when there is a patient with a "mystery illness", or when a creative way of using your available resources can save the day. It is important to be observant and detail-oriented so that you may be able to catch the little things that could be important in a patient's diagnosis or treatment. Usually, physicians are very open to a nurse's input, and the good ones value his/her opinion about their patient.

Just in case you are now totally intimidated at the prospect of becoming a nurse, there actually ARE rewards in this field. Most of them are intangible, but have a deeper meaning than a lot of jobs out there. As a nurse you really do have the opportunity to touch lives of those you come into contact with and care for. A great nurse can really make the difference between a lousy stay at the hospital, or a good one. He or she can make the difference in saving lives during an emergency room visit or in the ICU. A good nurse can make the difference in whether an elderly loved one receives the attention they need or whether a child gets the care they deserve. It is when a patient stops you and says "Thank you for all you have done", or when a family member does the same, that your reward will be the greatest. To have known you have truly made someone's difficult time a little easier is worth so much more than money. If you choose this field, you will quite possibly work harder than you ever have before in your life, and be challenged in different ways each time you go to work. But for those who truly love it, it is worth it. Think hard and explore your motivations, and if you choose to go ahead, good luck! The world always needs good nurses.

Learn more about this author, Andrea White.
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